Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol
August 2024
Background: Cushing's syndrome (CS) encompasses various causes of hypercortisolism including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting pituitary adenoma with or without bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, an adrenal adenoma or carcinoma, ectopic ACTH or corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) secretion by a neoplasm or exogenous corticosteroid therapy. The diagnosis of CS in pregnancy presents a challenge due to overlapping clinical features of pregnancy (weight gain, striae, acne). If untreated, CS in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of maternal and fetal complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) requires exclusion before diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Increasing use of liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) necessitates revision of immunoassay-based criteria for NCCAH. Measurement of 21-deoxycortisol (21DF) may simplify the diagnosis of heterozygosity (HTZ), the presence of 1 affected CYP21A2 allele, which currently relies on complex molecular studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: The skeletal effects of vitamin D remain controversial and it is uncertain whether variation in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels over time influences bone mineral density (BMD).
Objective: We evaluated longitudinal stability of serum 25OHD and associations with changes in BMD in participants aged 46-70 years at baseline.
Methods: We studied 3698 Busselton Healthy Ageing Study participants (2040 female) with serum 25OHD and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) BMD assessments at baseline and at ∼6 years follow-up.
Objectives: Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is an inflammatory muscle disease affecting individuals over the age of 45, leading to progressive muscle wasting, disability and loss of independence. Histologically, IBM is characterised by immune changes including myofibres expressing major histocompatibility complex molecules and invaded by CD8 T cells and macrophages, and by degenerative changes including protein aggregates organised in inclusion bodies, rimmed vacuoles and mitochondrial abnormalities. There is currently no cure, and regular exercise is currently the only recognised treatment effective at limiting muscle weakening, atrophy and loss of function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The role of the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) as an indicator of physical and reproductive health in men is unclear. We assessed the relationships between AMH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and metabolic parameters, in a cohort of expectant fathers.
Design: ORIGINS Project prospective cohort study.
Low vitamin D status has been linked to adverse cognitive outcomes in older adults. However, relationships at higher levels remain uncertain. We aimed to clarify patterns of association between vitamin D status and cognitive performance, using flexible regression methods, in 4872 middle- to older-aged adults (2678 females) from the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Genetic factors underpin the narrow intraindividual variability of thyroid function, although precise contributions of environmental vs genetic factors remain uncertain. We sought to clarify the heritability of thyroid function traits and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) positivity and identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contributing to the trait variance.
Methods: Heritability of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4 (fT4), free T3 (fT3) and TPOAb in a cohort of 2854 euthyroid, dizygous and monozygous twins (age range 11.
Introduction: Discordant thyroid function tests are routinely encountered in clinical practice. Differential diagnoses include acute thyroxine (T4) ingestion, laboratory interference from heterophilic antibodies, thyroid hormone resistance, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-secreting pituitary adenomas, and T4 protein binding abnormalities. The impact of abnormal binding proteins may be less recognized since widespread use of free T4 (FT4) assays compared to older total T4 assays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvidence from animal models suggests that undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) is involved in muscle mass maintenance and strength. In humans, the ucOC to total (t)OC ratio may be related to muscle strength and perhaps physical function and falls risk, but data are limited. We tested the hypothesis that ucOC and ucOC/tOC ratio are associated with muscle function (muscle strength and physical function) in older women and 15-year falls-related hospitalizations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Circulating concentrations of free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), and thyrotropin (TSH) are partly heritable traits. Recent studies have advanced knowledge of their genetic architecture. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation (DNAm), may be important in pituitary-thyroid axis regulation and action, but data are limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Calculated globulin fraction is derived from the liver function tests by subtracting albumin from the total protein. Since immunoglobulins comprise the largest component of the serum globulin concentration, increased or decreased calculated globulins and may identify patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia or hypergammaglobulinaemia, respectively.
Methods: A retrospective study of laboratory data over 2.
Lower vitamin D status at birth and during infancy has been associated with increased incidence of eczema and food allergies. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early infancy vitamin D supplementation on allergic disease outcomes in infants at "hereditary risk" of allergic disease, but who had sufficient vitamin D levels at birth. Here, we report the early childhood follow-up to 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Low vitamin D levels have been associated with allergic diseases. Vitamin D has potent immunomodulatory properties, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We have investigated the effect of oral vitamin D supplementation on circulating immune cell phenotypes in infants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) is poorly understood and the association between different immune features and the germline variants involved in AITD are yet unclear. We previously observed systemic depletion of IgG core fucosylation and antennary α1,2 fucosylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in AITD, correlated with anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) levels. Fucose depletion is known to potentiate strong antibody-mediated NK cell activation and enhanced target antigen-expressing cell killing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are the most common group of autoimmune diseases, associated with lymphocyte infiltration and the production of thyroid autoantibodies, like thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), in the thyroid gland. Immunoglobulins and cell-surface receptors are glycoproteins with distinctive glycosylation patterns that play a structural role in maintaining and modulating their functions. We investigated associations of total circulating IgG and peripheral blood mononuclear cells glycosylation with AITD and the influence of genetic background in a case-control study with several independent cohorts and over 3,000 individuals in total.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Endocrinol Metab
April 2020
Objective: There are no large, longitudinal studies of thyroid function across adolescence. The aims of this study were to examine longitudinal trends in thyrotropin (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) and determine age-specific reference ranges.
Methods: Thyroid function was assessed in 3415 participants in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study at ages 12, 14, and 16, using the Abbott ARCHITECT immunoassay.
Studies of the relationship between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and cancer risk have been inconsistent. We hypothesized that serum 25(OH)D was associated with total non-skin cancer incidence and mortality, and/or specifically with colorectal, lung, breast or prostate cancer in an Australian cohort. Serum 25(OH)D was measured in 3818 participants (2166 females) in the 1994/1995 Busselton Health Survey aged 25 to 84 years at baseline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To investigate the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration and refractive error in a community-based cohort of adults aged 46 to 69 years.
Methods: Residents of the City of Busselton in Western Australia born between 1946 and 1964 were invited to participate. Participants underwent cycloplegic autorefraction and completed questionnaires on education, occupational sun exposure, and physical activity.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
March 2019
Background: Suboptimal vitamin D levels during critical periods of immune development have emerged as an explanation for higher rates of allergic diseases associated with industrialization and residing at higher latitudes.
Objective: We sought to determine the effects of early postnatal vitamin D supplementation on infant eczema and immune development.
Methods: By using a double-blind randomized controlled trial, newborn infants were randomized to receive vitamin D supplementation (400 IU/d) or a placebo until 6 months of age.
Objective: The identification of individuals at risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a challenge. We investigated whether high-sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) is an independent predictor of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) hospitalisation in an Australian community-based cohort.
Methods: Serum hs-cTnI was measured in 1641 men and 2189 women in the Busselton Health Study 1994/1995 Cohort aged 25-84 years at baseline.